In a historic moment, the first Scorpene submarine Kalvari was delivered to the Indian Navy at the Mazagon Dock Ltd shipyard, paving way for it to be commissioned soon.

The contract for the construction and transfer-of-technology for six Scorpene submarines in series was signed in October 2005 with M/s DCNS of France as ‘collaborator’ and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) as ‘builder’.

Kalvari is named after the dreaded Tiger Shark, a deadly deep sea predator of the Indian Ocean.

The first Kalvari, commissioned in December 1967 was also the first submarine of the Indian Navy. It was decommissioned on May 31, 1996 after almost 30 years of service, a statement said.

“In true nautical tradition, she will now be re-incarnated, by Mazagon Dock, once again a powerful predator of the deep, guarding the vast maritime interests of our nation,” the statement said.

“Coming in the 50th year of Indian submarine operations (which is being celebrated as the Golden Jubilee of the Submarine Arm), the occasion has that extra special significance,” it added.

The new submarine has superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimised shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons.

“The attack can be launched with both torpedoes and tube launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on surface,” it added.

“The submarine is designed to operate in all theatres, with means provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a Naval Task Force. It is a potent platform, marking a generational shift in submarine operations,” the statement added.

The second of the Scorpenes under construction at MDL, Khanderi, was launched in January 2017, and is currently undergoing the rigorous phase of sea trials. The third Scorpene, Karanj, is being readied for launch later this year. The remaining submarines are in various stages of outfitting, it added.